ARK: A Tale of Triumph
by yutyrannusrex
Summary: A survivor stranded on an uninhabited island roamed by prehistoric beasts must learn to survive in this ruthless dino-eat-dino world, and eventually, conquer the island and all its inhabitants.
1. Chapter 1-Castaway

**Let me tell you the story of how it all began, how I conquered The Ark.**

 **My life here has been an amazing, wild ride, with life and death simply a daily problem thrown in the balance with every rising of the sun. This island has both blessed and cursed me, but the blessing were rare and far between, but the sweetest bits of life, and the curses came often, brutally and bloody. But I learned the** **rules here fast, that it was every being was to care only for its own survival,** **constantly at odds to preserve that precious yet fleeting vitality we call life. This was the Law of The Ark, and if any creature was to fail in observing it, the penalty was severe.**

 **Our tale begins many years ago...**

The first thing I remember was the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. It filled my entire body, my lungs bursting, raggedly gasping for air, every fiber of my being aching. I was also dimly aware of a sharp pain in my head, and was surprised at how empty I found it-no knowledge of any prior existence. And finally, I felt a stinging sensation in my wrist. I tried to move, open my eyes, anything...but my nerves refused to respond. The vibration of heavy footsteps shook the earth, as I sunk back into an inky black ocean of unconsciousness.

I awoke to the calming sound of gentle waves lapping playfully at the water's edge, and felt the soft, sun-warmed ocean sand beneath my body. The pain in my body had eased. My brain felt slightly better, though I was confused, and my left hand was numb. I was aware that I had no clothing on, except for some sort of cruse undergarment. My eyes snapped open, and I was greeted with the burning rays of the sun, blinding me. I staggered about, as shades of green, yellow and blue swirled in my vision.

Objects began to focus, and I recognized a leafy forest of palms in front of me, with a large, flat stretch of beach to either side of me, meeting a blank, endless tropical sea. The shore was littered with boulders, driftwood and rocks, as well as brown, scuttling crabs. Overhead, seagulls wheeled and uttered harsh, familiar cries, and in the bushes nearby, some type of large turkeys were waddling about, looking rather stupid. As I reached out to pick myself up of the ground, I cried out in agony as a pain shot through my arm from my wrist. I glanced at my arm, and imbedded in the flesh was a diamond-shaped object, made apparently of metal, fused well into my body. Terrified, I scratched furiously at it, to no use...it was permanently stuck into my arm. It glowed with an odd, blue light, and I tapped it out of curiosity...

Instantly, a holographic image flashes up from the object.

"What the hell?"

I was surprised for a fraction of a second the sound of my own voice, but I was more absorbed in the screen. It portrayed a male symbol at the top, next to a name...

"Luke...so that's my name?"

Among other things, what mostly interested my was the title of the display:

'Specimen Implant #74663

"Specimen? Is this some messed up experiment? Who the hell would care about the results of dumping some random person of in some random island, anyway?"

 **I had no further time to think on this. Light, fast footfall approached me from behind, and I found myself face-to-face with toothy, foaming jaws, and the sickeningly sweet odor of death and decay filled the air...**


	2. Chapter 2-Journal

The jaws never moved closer. I looked up at the face of an enormous bird, easily big, if not bigger than a man. It seemed to be only calmly observing me, two fiery eyes set in a skull bearing a long, toothy beak and two horny crests atop its head, one stretched back towards the sky, the other atop the beak. The skin was naked and grey, blotched with green. It was certainly no bird I had ever seen. My implant glowed, and the bird squeaked in surprise. Then words flashed, and I read...

"Pteranodon."

Then it clicked.

Pteranodon.

It was a God damned pteranodon. Somehow, the word came to me in a flash. This was an animal that went extinct millions of years prior, with the dinosaurs.

It tilted its head curiously, and exhaled a big cloud of breath that reeked of dead fish. Drool dripped onto my chest, and the huge bill clacked together, sheathing the pointed, gleaming teeth. Then, without any warning, the huge reptile leaped over me and into the air, unfurled its leathery wings, and soared off. I watched its beautiful grey-green wings reflect off the bright blue waters, and unconsciously wished I could have the power of flight as well.

And then, yet another thing clicked. The purpose of the experiment was much less foggy now. This creature surely had some reason to do with why I was placed here...right? And worse, if there were pterodactyls, there was no telling what other creatures might roam these strange shores.

The sun had reached the middle if the sky, and I realized there was little time to lose in gathering tools to survive. Some primal instinct buried deep inside of me was warning me that bad things would happen after the sun had disappeared, and that if I were to encounter any other perils, I would need some good tools and a place to call a home.

After a good deal of splinters, sweat and hard work, I had managed to bind together a crude pickaxe. But aside from building a camp, there were bigger problems at hand.

My suspicions proved correct. To my right, further up the beach, was a massive mountain of flesh, towering over even the tallest trees. From one end rose a huge neck, like a giant snake, with a pitifully small head at the end. Two small, stupid eyes, much like a cow, stared calmly at the world, while its toothy, grinning mouth pulled entire branches off trees. On the opposite end, a long, writhing tail constantly twitched and swirled in the air, lashing occasionally from side to side, like a whip. Despite its enormous size, the dinosaur still occasionally looked from side to side, as if there was something even bigger out there. However, for the most part, it marched aimlessly, grazing on bushes and trees, so I decided that, as long as I stood my distance, it wouldn't attack. I couldn't tell the exact species, but it seemed to me a Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus.

There were others, too, but all herbivores so far.

Along the beach, I saw many, many large, fat chicken-like birds with huge beaks. As I approached, they did not run; rather, they looked curiously at me. I guessed immediately what they were,

"Dodos."

Two other animals frequented the beach as well. Parasaurolophus, and what looked like Triceratops, wandered about in a loose herd. I choose to stay away from the second dinosaur, as it seemed much more nervous and aggressive.

Aside from the creatures, the island seemed primordial in another way: it was completely untamed. A vast tract of undisturbed rainforest came to meet the beach, which was unpolluted. Rugged cliffs rose up from one section of the beach, decorated with sparse trees and grasses. To one side, my right, the beach stretched inland, along the banks of a river. Across it, I could see more beach and jungle. To the other, on my left the beach curved along the cliffs, and formed a large bay or cove. Far in the distance across the cove, tall cliffs and wild jungle made me think it wouldn't be a good idea to explore there.

Across the ocean, I could also glimpse a small, mysterious island.

The sun began its journey into the west from the center of the sky, where it had been when I awoke on the beach. A cold wind began to blow, and, realizing I was naked except for a pair of crude underwear, I started to gather resources for a campfire, so that I would not freeze to death. It was tedious to gather wood and stones without venturing too close to the dark, tangled jungle, but eventually, I had a firepit and enough fuel to last for the night. After I had finished, I realized that I was hungry. Searching through the plants, I found many that had berries; however, I had no way of knowing which were poisonous, if any. As I pondered there with an empty stomach, a Dodo approached.

"Gluck." It was squawking.

It picked off a yellow-colored berry, and hastily gulped it down, followed by several others. I cautiously tried one, and found it was delicious. I decided to follow the Dodo, and soon found that it ate from all bushes, except those which had round, black fruit. I gathered all I could carry of the red, yellow, blue and purple berries, carefully avoiding the black, and returned to camp. Confident that I was prepared for the night, I lay down to rest.

A brown, crab-like creature crawled up to me, curious. I held my implant up to it.

"Trilobite."

Experimentally, I flipped the Trilobite upside-down. It squirmed, but could not right itself. I quickly killed it with one powerful, quick stroke to the head with my pickaxe. Seeing that they would be a good source of meat, I quickly set out to catch as many trilobites as I could. That's when I found it.

Further up the shore, a Trilobite scuttled over a rock and into a crevice. I reached in for the arthropod, and felt something else. Fabric. There was no doubt about it. Hurriedly, I hacked at the crevice, until the rock began to give way. Out fell several chunks of rock, a surprised trilobite, and a crusty, beaten-up backpack. I couldn't believe it. Quickly, I opened it up.

I reached in, an pulled out worm-eaten book. The spine was worn away, and the leather cover seemed to be torn by claws. I flipped it open.

A cloud of moldy dust made me cough. The paper was damaged by seawater and scratches, and stained by what could have been ink...or blood. I could not make out any of the words. Disappointed, I flipped to a new page.

There, in the middle of the page, was a beautiful, though faded, drawing of a fierce dinosaur, in full colors. I knew it before I even read the title.

"Tyrannosaurus."

The words on this page seemed to be much more readable. Under the name, which was actually "Rex", it said other things, such as the species, diet, and temperament. Along the sides, there was writing accompanied by sketches. It seemed to indicate that there were, at least at one time, many people on this island-tribes, even. Additionally, it indicated someone might tame these primeval beasts. However, this made me extremely uneasy, as well. Were there Tyrannosaurs about, right here? I recalled how uneasy the Brontosaur was. I slipped the book back into the pack, pulled it over my shoulder, and hastily returned to camp, determined to study the book more, so that I might be prepared. The sun sank deeper into the sky, and the wind blew harder, sending chills through my body. Just then, I remembered I had no way to light a fire, no flint, and that I would freeze...and something snarled behind me. I whirled, as a something with two crests and a flapping frill leapt at my neck...


	3. Chapter 3-Hunted

**The carnivore's snarl filled the air, along with the foul, rotten stench of its breath. Its cruel jaws were aimed at my throat. As it pounced, it seemed to hang in midair for a moment; I glimpsed a tapering, scaly snout, with two bony crests atop it; a ragged, bright purple frill, spread out on either side, like a menacing war banner; yellowed fangs, gleaming from within the gums of the gaping maw, each sharp and daggerlike.**

 **All of this information flashed within my brain in an instant, as the creature flew towards me. I instinctively jumped back, at the same time punching out with my fists and trying to dodge the attack.**

 **Instead of sinking its teeth into my neck, the dinosaur missed, instead grabbing my bare chest. I yelled in pain as fiery hot knives dug and tore into my flesh, and tripped backwards into the sand from the unexpected weight of the creature hanging to my body. Landing on my back, I kicked it off and jumped up, ready to run, only to find myself surrounded.**

 **A pack of the vicious little brutes, each one rattling its frill, while snarling and hooting angrily at me. There were four in all, including the one that tried to kill me. Each was around seven feet from snout to tail, with a body covered in feathers. The animals held their heads and arms like huge birds, and strutted on their short legs like turkeys. The pack seemed to be rather bold, most likely due to the advantage they held in numbers.**

 **But I had the advantage of brains.**

 **Seeing that they were too quick for me to simply run out from between them, I resorted to threat. I stomped the ground, yelled, shouted, and made unearthly screeching, howling, and roaring noises, while keeping as cool and collected as I could. I remembered, somehow, that wild predators were less likely to attack you if you seemed to be yourself a ferocious threat, and especially if you showed no signs of fear.**

 **I was obviously not very threatening and very afraid.**

 **One of the dinosaurs charged me from behind. As I turned to meet the threat, the other three, emboldened by their companion's act, rushed in to join him. One of them flared its crest out fully, revealing a brilliant shade of red. I assumed it was about to attack, so I turned to face it head-on, meeting its defiant glare, and staring right into those twin, golden globes.**

 **Right as the creature ejected a stream of thick, dark oozing liquid from its mouth, directly into my face.**

 **Before I could think, my eyes were suddenly stinging with extreme pain, like fire. A thick, green fog enveloped my vision and my senses; I doubled over from the pain in my eyes, and was dimly aware that one of the creatures had leaped upon my back, and that its claws were digging into my back. As something began to close around my neck, perhaps a hungry predator's drooling maw, perhaps death's sweet, friendly embrace, I calmly told myself I was dead.**

 **But that's when it happened.**

 **I told myself I would live. No matter what.**

 **I suddenly heaved my back, whirled, and slammed my fists blindly in the air. They connected with something's jawbone, and I heard a crack-possibly my knuckles, possibly its mouth. One of the other animals bit into my leg, tearing the flesh. I shoved it off, but blood was dripping from my calf now, as well as from the bites on my neck and chest, and the clawmarks on my back, and the jaws of the dinosaurs. I was growing weaker with every drop lost, and they were going into a frenzy from the taste of fresh blood.**

 **I decided to run.**

 **Wiping some of the poisonous spit from my eyes, I could see well enough in the evening light to run into the forest. Adrenalin coursed through my veins, aiding wings to my feet. Dour pairs of footsteps followed me, far behind. Exhausted, wounded, and beginning to loose consciousness, my breath came in ragged gasps, and my whole body trembled, ached, and reeked of sweat and blood. By the time I reached a forest clearing, I was on the point of collapse.**

 **Hiding among the bushes, I rested in a state of half terror, half exhausted sleep for what seemed to be and endless amount of time. Insects hovered around me, some landing around my wounds, other biting at my skin. Occasionally, massive dragonflies with sharp stingers would inspect me, but quickly loose interest when they saw I was alive. The sun quickly set, leaving me dark and even more afraid. How I survived that ordeal, I have no idea. All hope and sanity was gone, every fiber of my brain, body, heart, soul and spirit snapped, twisted and mangled. My mind reeled with thoughts of death, monsters, demonic creatures of the night; chimeras and shadows of my imagination came to life, scaly saurians with fiery eyes and rows of ivory knives set in steel-trap jaws, spines and claws stained in blood. Not only did nightmares of predators haunt me. There, too, were torturing thoughts of my aloneness, the insanity and torturous situation of it all, the hopelessness and living nightmare. Throughout the hours, my torn flesh burned, my worn body quivered and my eyes were clouded and aching from the venom, amplified by the unrelentless cold and freezibg breezes. My conditions were made even more miserable by the horrifying howls, shrieks and hisses that emerged from the jungle on all sides, as if at any moment a monstrous beast of prey would bound into the clearing, seize me in its cruel jaws, and tear me apart. The full moon cast horrific shadows on the entire scene.**

 **Indeed, all too many horrors passed through the realm of both body and soul during that trial.**

 **After what seemed an existence but was more likely a couple of hours, I heard the hoots and hisses of the pack of dinosaurs, hunting for me nearby. Apparently, they had been thrown off my trail for some time by my confusing, panicked route of flight, as well as the twisting woods and, perhaps, other predators which they would have to avoid. Not that I cared for anything, except that their delay had given me a chance to regain my strength and let the blood stop flowing from my injuries.**

 **Nervously, I backed further into the vegetation, carefully not to reveal myself. I was so occupied in staying alive, I did not notice the noise behind me before it was too late.**

 **From the bushes behind me rose the shape of an enormous ape, easily taller than me, with long, muscular arms, dense, tangled hair, a barrel chest, and an angered, roaring bellow on its face.**

 **From that moment on, I vowed to always watch my back.**

 **Never had I run so hard in my life. The pack of dinosaurs may have almost killed me, but they were not nearly as fearful or intimidating as the huge ape, crashing through the woods right behind me, roaring like a mighty hurricane. Leaves, dirt and branches flew through the air as the beast, furious at its being disturbed, relentlessly pursued me...straight into the hunting pack.**

 **The confused ape, unsure of what happened, soon found itself under attack from the four dinosaurs. I watched, feeling almost sorry I had woken the behemoth only to lead to to be slaughtered by these brutal carnivores.**

 **And then, in the moonlit jungle, hell broke loose.**

 **The ape, standing at full height, snatched the closest dinosaur, and flung it at a thick tree trunk, sixteen feet up. A loud crack issued forth as its backbone shattered, and the creature thudded limply back to earth.**

 **Suddenly terrified by the death of an ally, the three remaining pack members lost all trace of their confidence, and turned and fled deeper into the forest, as the ape bellowed and beat its chest menacingly. Once it had made sure they were gone, it settled down peacefully on the forest floor, eating a few berries, before drifting off into a quiet slumber.**

 **Slipping out from behind a tree, I carefully avoided awakening the monster a second time, and made my way carefully in the opposite direction as the dinosaurs, towards the beach.**

 **By the time I reached my camp, the sun's rays once again slipped across the sky to greet to earth with splendor and warmth, as I collapsed in the sand, glad to end the worst night of my existence. After washing and bandaging my wounds the best I could, sat down, and read about the dossiers of "Dilophosaurus" and "Gigantopithicus" in the journal. Today, I would not be caught unprepared or hysterical...for only the fittest and strongest survived here, clearly.**

 **(Author's note: I will try to make the chapters more progress-oriented from now on, and have some taming and possibly humor! Stay tuned.)**


	4. Chapter 4-Fire

**My entire body still ached from the Dilophosaur attack the previous night; my cuts had stopped bleeding, however, and were already starting to heal, thanks to the makeshift bandages I had made from fibrous leaves and stems. The Dilophosaur poison still caused my eyes some considerable pain and clouded my vision slightly. However, I was alive; and my mind felt better, oddly enough.**

 **I no longer had the fear of being alone and stranded on a hostile island. It may have been a legitimate fear, except for the fact that, due to my amnesia, there was no longing for a past life, for family and friends or a home. My brain held no information at all about any past life. In addition, I had a strong, inner urge to survive; an untamable instinct, unquenchable even in the face of the greatest fear. I was going to survive and conquer every obstacle, no matter how fierce or dangerous-**

 **"Cluck?!"**

 **I screamed in terror at the sound, tried to scramble backwards, and fell on my back. I sat up, and found myself face-to-face with a Dodo bird. Sheepishly, I shooed it away, and resumed my thoughts, recalling my promise myself to be more cautious after the Dilophosaurs had ambushed me. To not be afraid on this island obviously meant death.**

 **I felt a little more prepared and experienced after their attack. I had managed to escape that time, but there was no saying when the next predator would choose to appear and how dangerous it would be. I was determined to find a weapon to defend myself with. In addition, I had no clothes, no way to start a fire to cook with, keep warm, light up the night, and, hopefully, to ward off predators.**

 **I stood up and looked around. The only signs of dinosaurs were the huge Brontosaur, its head lifted high above the trees, and from time to time, a Parasaurolophus poking its head up above the dense plants bushes or a Triceratops bellowing loudly. Dodos waddled out onto the beach, and occasionally, a chirping noise came from the jungle, like a group of birds.**

 **As the wind whipped against my skin, I remembered that I had no clothes, except for a crude undergarment. I had no way to create real clothes, but I would have to find some eventually, for better physical protection; in addition, despite being alone on an island, that did not rob me of all dignity, and honestly, being stranded on a hostile beach clad in only underwear felt quite unpleasant.**

 **Suddenly, an inspiration struck me. I examined the backpack I had found along the shore with the journal, and found that it had a second pocket. I eagerly reached inside, and my hands made contact with a type of fabric different than that of the backpack, rougher and thicker. I quickly pulled it out, and it proved to be a shirt, woven out of plant fibers. Although it was torn and eaten away in some places by mold, I found considerable relief after I had put it on. A second trip into the pocket, and my hand returned with a pair of pants. At the very bottom were some loose hide moccasins, and a pair of worn-out gloves, with holes eaten in the leather by something. Putting on those clothes seemed to give me a new energy and spirit, and I felt equipped to battle the toughest weather or the strongest predator.**

 **I quickly glanced around to make sure there weren't any Dodos to cluck at me.**

 **I would have to find a permanent way to resist the cold, though. Thankfully, it had not rained yet; chilling winds combined with a downpour could easily bring on hypothermia. The animals seemed to be indifferent to the weather, but I knew I would need shelter from it, as well as from hungry predators. I had no armored hide, horns, claws or teeth; I couldn't run fast, swim, or fly. But what I lacked in my physical abilities, I would have to make up for with smarts.**

 **A fire would be a good start, but when the storms came, fire would be rendered useless in the rain and wind. My goal, then, was to establish a fortified place to live, safe from all the island could pit against me. And I would start with a fire.**

 **I recalled, somehow, that fire could be started by using two stones, especially if one of them was flint, a sharp rock that were also used by primitive tribes to create tools and weapons. I put on the backpack, slipped the journal inside, and picked my stone pickaxe, as well as a store of berries, and set out among the rocks at the bottom of the jungle cliffs which lined the shore, hoping to find some flint.**

 **After a long, fruitless search, I sat down under the shade of the rocks. I noticed that I was very hungry, and reached into my pack for a handful of berries. Tired, I watched the triceratops herd as I ate, as the large dinosaurs wandered through the bushes, rumbling to each other. Occasionally, I heard the chuckling cluck of a dodo, or the whoosh of a pteranodon swooping out of the sky or launching back into flight. Insects buzzed from the jungle, while the soft cries of seabirds answered from the beach. It was hard to believe that such a peaceful, serene location could have been a scene of death hours before, as large, three-toed footprints which sunk deep into the wet sand proved. I shuddered as I placed my own foot inside the track, with plenty of room to spare. Thankfully, they led further down the beach, finally turning and vanishing into the jungle.**

 **The sun was still low in the sky; I estimated it would be about 3 hours until noon, so there was still time to be idle, despite the desperate situation. I began to study the journal, reading information on the island's geography. I was trying to determine where "my" beach was, when something made a noise behind me.**

 **"Cluck?!"**

 **I dropped the book and whirled, only to recognize the very same Dodo which had terrified me before. I was very annoyed this time, not at myself (as I should have been) but at the bird, and determined to get revenge on it, petty as my grudge might be. I reached into my backpack, and pulled out some of the juiciest berries. I then held out the handful to the Dodo, which tilted its head curiously before waddling forward. It was amusing and satisfying to watch it try to grab one berry at a time with its oversized bill, with no success, because I moved my hand slightly out of its reach each time. The bird, apparently baffled why it could never reach the berries, looked suspiciously at the handful. Apparently defeated, it began to waddle away.**

 **I started laughing at the bird's stupidity, when suddenly, the dodo turned, and made a quick lunge at the berries. Unprepared, I did not move my hand quickly enough. The bird once again missed the berries, however...**

 **...instead, it bit down hard on my hand, sinking hooked point of its beak into my skin.**

 **I yelled in pain, dropping all of the berries. The surprised bird released my hand, but quickly forgot its puzzlement and snapped up the berries I had dropped. I clenched my hand in pain, and glared at the dodo bird, which had just stopped a few feet in front of me, having eaten all the berries. Angry, I kicked a cloud of sand at the bird, which stood there and watched as the wind blew the sand backwards, right into my face.**

 **The bird watched with apparent amusement as I wiped the sand from my face and eyes. Enraged, I began to shout.**

 **"Why you little damned birdbrain, I'll..."**

 **Before I could finish my sentence, it kicked up a shower of sand, which flew right into face.**

 **I sat down on the ground, all of the anger gone out of me. I was utterly humiliated. I had been outsmarted by a bird. And not just any, a dodo. Five times, even if accidentally. If I couldn't even match wits with a creature which had a brain the size of a marble, there was no chance that I could survive the onslaught of cunning predators.**

 **Despite my threats, the Dodo was still standing there, gazing curiously at me. I knew, somehow, despite the amnesia, that the dodo had received its name from its lack of awareness to danger, acting friendly in a stupid way towards the very humans who caught and cooked them. For a bird renowned for stupidity, however, it seemed less of an idiot and more of a naive genius. The Dodo had watched by throw sand, and had learned to do the same.**

 **I decided to try something.**

 **Picking up a small, smooth stone, I tossed it up into the air. The Dodo waddled up, examining it. It turned its head one way and then the other, getting a good look at the stone with both eyes, before carefully lifting it up in its beak. It held it there for a moment, as if unsure what to do next.**

 **Then, it jerked its head up in the air, tossed the stone up, and snatched it again, before swallowing it.**

 **I was in utter disbelief for a few seconds.**

 **Meanwhile, it had began clucking happily, as if it did not care it had just eaten a rock. There was no doubt, the bird really was stupid if it was eating rocks.**

 **However, I decided to follow it anyway, as it eagerly sought out more berries. After eating each clump of berries, it would finish its meal by swallowing another smooth pebble.**

 **"I wonder if it mentioned anything about this in the journal..."**

 **I pulled the book out of my backpack, scanning the pages for the Dodo dossier. As I flipped carefully through the pages, the Dodo had stopped waddling, pecking at a bright, shiny stone that was embedded in a boulder. I walked up, interested. The entire boulder was studded with the sharp, shining substance. It was unexpectedly sharp when I ran my finger along it, and very shiny. Could it be?**

 **Full of hope, I consulted the journal. After a quick search, I located the section about natural resources, where it listed various minerals. Among them, it listed the stone: flint.**

 **I could hardly believe my luck.**

 **After awarding my new avian friend with a generous helping of berries, which he eyed suspiciously before eating (obviously recalling the first time I had offered him food), I set to work chipping the flint out of the boulder.**

 **Occasionally, one the Parasaurs, which stood out a little from the rest of the herd, would stop feeding and raised its head up out of the plants. I didn't quite understand why, until, one time, it made a loud, odd-sounding noise, almost like a siren. This always caused the others to poke their heads up, look around nervously, and make raspy, trumpeting noises. The Trikes snorted uneasily and made barking noises, but showed less concern. The Brontosaur paid no attention to the phantom threat whatsoever, busily stripping the leaves off of branches and forcing them down its enormous gullet. However, the sounds quickly died down, which made me think it could only be the odd sound of my pickaxe, hacking at the rocks, and the strange scent of my moldy clothes, carried by the breeze.**

 **The sun had finally reached the middle of the sky and was beginning its descent when I had amassed a good amount of flint. No predators had appeared so far today, despite the footprints in the sand and the nervous behavior of the herbivores, which was good.**

 **The Dodo, meanwhile, had dozed off; its head being an awkward shape, it could not tuck it under a wing to sleep; instead, it folded its neck into an S-shape and tucked its head into the soft, downy feathers that sprouted from the bird's plump, warm breast. I envied how carefree it was.**

 **Piling the flint into my backpack, I picked it up, surprised at how heavy it was. I still managed to put it on and still walk normally, but I was slightly hindered in my ability to move. However, this made me uneasy, because without the ability to freely run without dropping my precious cargo-along with the journal and pack itself. I checked the surrounding beach before I walked in to what could possibly be an ambush, but saw nothing-which actually made me even more wary. The jungle sounds were quiet now, as I knew (I was getting used to unexplained knowledge by now) they often became when there was a predator afoot. The Parasaurs were no longer feeding; instead, they milled about anxiously, honking and snorting. The Triceratops herd had bunched together, barking angrily at some unseen danger. As I was edging carefully closer and closer to my camp, which was on the other side of the Parasaur herd, the attack came, swift, deadly, and without warning.**

 **Something had jumped clear of the top of the cliffs, a jumble of plumage, talons, and flashing eyes, landing right in front of me. It hit the ground, so close that for a minute, I could smell the rotten stench of its breath, and feel the fear and adrenaline coursing through me. and immediately bounded forward, dodging the angry Trikes, and moving swiftly towards the Parasaur herd. The huge, dumb creatures began honking wildly, but did not move.**

 **Two others followed-a flash of feathers and claws, hurling through the air one moment, and the next, streaking across the ground, tearing up sand, leaving a print with only two toes. One of them raced along the beach to join the first, while the other turned and ran into the jungle. I hastily ducked behind a rock, watching nature play out in a game of sharks and minnows, while I stayed out of it. There was no need to unnecessarily become something's dinner or be flattened by a fleeing Parasaurolophus.**

 **The attackers were obviously dinosaurs, but very different from the Dilophosaurs I had previously encountered. They had long, muscular legs, stiff, balancing tails, long snouts, and a covering of bright yet camouflaging feathers. They cleared three meters with each running step, striding atop claw-tipped toes, one of which was raised into the air and bore an oversized claw.**

 **"Oh, hell...they're raptors!"**

 **I accidentally said it louder than I meant to. However, no one seemed to notice.**

 **The Parasaurs had by now begun to run wildly, stampeding into the forest. The two pursuers suddenly stopped, apparently giving up. Confidently, the Parasaurs lowered their pace, failing to notice that one of the raptors had run into the jungle, to head the herd off. Suddenly, the third raptor revealed itself, forcing the terrified quarry to turn and flee back towards the beach, where the other two pack members waited.**

 **Once the fleeing herd had ran out of the jungle and into the open, the three carnivores reunited, homing in one one of the slower Parasaurs, which had been trample in the panic and injured its leg. When they had closed the distance, the leader leapt at its quarry, the killing claws flashing in midair; the snarl mingling with the sound of terrified animals, the sight of the white and sandy beach, and the scent of the salty air; and then, something smacked the raptor out of the air, slamming it into the ground. The Brontosaurus, which had been calmly watching the scene, had slammed its whiplike tail down onto the predator. The injured raptor picked itself up, and slunk into the grass, followed by its two packmates, who could not resist taking one last snap at the Parasaur. The annoyed Brontosaur whipped its tail a second time, and the raptors quickly ducked and scampered away.**

 **Relieved, I watched the predators retreat, and began to leave my hiding spot. The Trikes and Parasaurs had dispersed, with a few of them still warily watching the bushes in case of a second attempt; however, after the Brontosaur's punishing blow, I doubted they would ever return. I was just about to start walking back to camp, when something bit my heel, and said,**

 **"CLUCK!"**

 **I turned to see my Dodo friend. It was following me closely, and refused to leave. So, I returned to camp, plus one Dodo bird.**

 **When evening finally came, I had already fashioned a few crude spears using sturdy bamboo poles tipped with sharp pieces of flint, and gathered more Trilobite meat, as well as fished mostly unsuccessfully for some large fish the journal identified as Coelacanths. In addition, I had gathered many more berries for the new mouth I had to feed, as my Dodo buddy seemed to be too curious and devoted to following me around to find its own.**

 **I also studied the dossiers of the raptors, which proved to be Utahraptors, and the Dodobird, as well as more botany, geology, and geography, as well as forming a sort of wall around my camp using logs and thorny branches stacked on top of each other, which was finally after many punctured fingers. To get in or out, there was a well-concealed section which had no thorns, were I could climb without injury over the barricade, although with considerable trouble. The Trikes and the Brontosaur would be able to keep most predators at bay anyway, but the wall made me feel safe and secure.**

 **To add to my comfort, I even set down a mat of leaves and grasses on top of a wooden frame, to form a sort of bed to lay on. The Dodo, watching me, made himself a little nest as well, and sat in it, contentedly clucking to himself. Confident that I was prepared, I watched the sun go down, and waited for the moment of truth.**

 **Digging a shallow pit in the sand, I set down my firewood into a teepee shape. Next, I added wood chips, bark, dried grass, sticks, and leaved in the center of the logs. Then, taking up a piece of flint and a piece of stone, I struck them together.**

 **A beautiful spark flashed into the air, illuminating the twilight gloom, and dispelling not only the dark, but also my fears and worries. That spark kindled hope and happiness in my heart, just as it kindled the dry twigs into a crackling flame. My quest for survival had taken a step forward. I had acquired the secret, beautiful and deadly flower of fire. I watched, with tears in my eyes, as the logs burst into shades of strawberries and marmalade, tropical, bright, and sunny, just as my inner feelings were. I had survived the predators. I had built a camp. I had started a fire. But most importantly-**

 **"Cluck!?"**

 **I had made a friend. I pulled my Dodo close, hugging him, half out of affection, half to keep him from trying to snap at the burning embers, which to him looked like strange, bright fireflies, but full of the sun's heat. I smiled and said,**

 **"This island just got a whole lot more friendly, whether it wants to be or not. And I will tame it, I will survive it."**

 **Just at that moment, I realized that I had forgotten to roast my meat, and that I was starving, and very thirsty as well. Quickly, I squeezed some berries, drank the juice, and cooked a few fish over the fire. However, starving with food was better than freezing without fire, or hunted without defense.**

 **Little did I know, my happy illusion of being safe would soon end...something was watching me from the jungle. Something the size of a chicken.**


	5. Chapter 5-Midnight

**My eyes snapped open. The fire was still blazing, though beginning to die down; my dodo was asleep in its nest. The stars shone brightly in unison with the full moon, and the herbivores around us snored peacfully. Yet, something seemed wrong, very wrong, and I could not shake the feeling...**

 **The ghostly, blue-tinged moon illuminated the night, casting eerie shadows. A long, tall phantom crept across the beach, the dark silhouette of a creature with razor-sharp jaws, a long, stiff tail, and powerful, three-toed feet ending in talons, moving in swift strides. First one, then another, and then yet another. In single file, the band of wraiths patrolled the shoreline, sending chills down my spine. Raptors? No; while they walked like birds, the shadows looked vaguely lizard-like, aside from what appeared to be a fan of feathers on the head. They weren't Dilos, for sure. And from the darkness, there came a constant chittering sound, like a large rat. I huddled closer to the fire, and snatched a log to use as a club. My wall of thorny branches and logs would keep out any larger predators, but a smaller marauder would be disastrous.**

 **My Dodo, apparently awakened by the sound, nervously paced around the fire, occasionally stopping to snap at a moth, crab or large centipede, before turning and circling around the blaze in the opposite direction. I ate a piece of Trilobite meat, and discovered it was beginning to spoil, being slimy and wry, rather than the usual fishy taste. I threw the meat off to one side, and it landed with a loud, slimy thud, like a fruit being smashed underfoot. The phantom shadows cocked their heads in my direction.**

 **"Damn!"**

 **The shadows grew closer. I could hear light footfall, the sound of talons sinking into the wet sand, squeezing up moisture and clambering over seaweed and rocks. I could hear a chattering noise, like a rattling board, but without the thick woodiness, instead having the harsh rasp but rubbery texture of a turkey's gobble. I could hear the rustle of plumage, like the headdress of a native war chief or a Roman Centurion, rallying his forces to victory against the intruders which threatened homeland and did not know the way of their people.**

 **"Little do these buggers know, I am well acquainted with the Way of the Island. Kill or be killed, fight and fight back, live in peace and live in fear, live in blood and live in triumph."**

 **I could hear their scaled legs scraping up against the bark of my barricade, as faint as the rustle of a leaf on the wind, a snake in the grass. I saw their fiery eyes, reflecting the glow of the campfire's embers. I smelled their musky scent, like a fur coat marinated in insect guts and ripened blood. I could feel their teeth-**

 **"GET THE HELL OFF!"**

 **I shook, but the vermin wouldn't let go. It looked for all the world to be a half-plucked chicken, with a long, almost beaked snout, inquisitive eyes, a fuzzy coat studded with scales on the legs, arms, and head, with a crest like a woodpecker. The long tail wagged like a cat stalking a bird, while at the opposite end, the ravenous jaws worked into the flesh of my leg like a Gila Monster. Several other bolts of feathered lightening vaulted over the fence, and my Dodo was trying to make itself as inconspicuous as possible, flattening its feathers in a hopeless attempt to look smaller, perhaps to hide or perhaps to make itself look skinny and thus unappetizing. When I had finally freed the first, I shoved it aside, only to find myself surrounded by five, six, eight, ten others. Three more circled my Dodo, which was now standing its ground, abandoning its unsuccessful attempt at stealth and instead kicking and lunging viciously at the predators.**

 **"Compys, damn damn damn!"**

 **I had read about Compsognathus in the journal. Alone, they were harmless, in pairs, a nuisance, but in a super-pack, deadly. Swift and cunning, you cloud rarely outsmart or outrun them, and they could access any refuge you could.**

 **The Compys attacked from all sides. One gashed my shoulder, another tore at my calf, and yet another latched onto my chest and sunk down into my shoulder. I gasped in pain-although in mortal combat, it would still be unwise to attract any lurking dragons. Then, I had and idea...**

 **I jumped onto the fire.**

 **Pain shot through my body. I held my eyelids shut firmly, and despite the intense, stinging heat and the suffocating smoke, in addition to the ravenous flames and still-clinging dinosaurs, I remained where I was, rolling around to spread the blaze and shake off the offensive reptiles. One by one they were either stunned from being crushed and burned, or ran off howling into the night. Finally, when I thought that the world had sunken into a frenzied inferno, pain searing through my entire body, the last one dropped off and quickly clambered up and over the barricade, giving my one last annoyance by defecting into my face as I watched it go, the feces creamy and acidic, like a bird. I cursed, and threw a log at it as it fled into the darkness. Once I had recovered, I surveyed the damage. My clothes were ruined; I had suffered minor burns, and my eyes and lungs were irritated from inhaled smoke, soot and sand. My nose, shoulder, leg and chest had been clawed and bitten, although not severely; a few twigs and thorns from the campfire had embedded into my skin. I quickly examined my Dodo, and I laughed at the sight that greeted my sore eyes. There, in the bird's mouth, was a Compy, jaws held shut in the strong bill, sharp claws held down by stocky feet. The Dodo itself had only a few minor scratched and one bite on its left leg, which was good. All the other Compys, except our captive and one unfortunate victim which had been crushed when I rolled in the flames, were either gone, or at least I hoped. Taking a stone, I hastily tied it onto the struggling dinosaur's right foot as a hobble, a set it loose from the Dodo's bill, but only after a kick in the face. Hastily, I pinned it down and muzzled it, and the captured beast sulked about the wrecked camp. Luckily, my precious backpack had been undisturbed by the invaders; unfortunately, there was an enormous crab latched onto it, and refused to move, eyeing my suspiciously while clacking huge pincers. I backed off quickly, already knowing how deadly small things could be.**

 **However, more pressing matters were at hand. I bound up my wounds, next attending to the Dodo, and applied a mash of berries (and eating a few as well) to, I hoped, prevent infection. I repaired my torn clothes, collected the scattered firewood, and, after finding that a Compy had decided to eat the sole of my shoe, skinned the dead one, and patched my crude moccasin as best I could with a bone needle and plant fiber twine. By the end of my tedious work, the sun was advancing like a valiant hero, and the moon receding like the vicious Compsognathus pack. I was beginning to relax, planning out upgrades to the wall fortification, new forms of food, a methods of taming the captured Compy (with whom my Dodo had insisted on snuggling with, much to the other's objection), when I heard it again-the seemingly harmless, but entirely malignant call of a Compy. Climbing the wall, I saw, to my horror, the pack, in greater numbers-there must have been at least three dozen of the devils, staring back at me calmly, waiting to rend the flesh from my frame at a moment's notice. They hopped, unsure when to attack, splashing in the surf, kicking up the salty spray, stopping to nip at each other or make rattling snarls at me. The Parasaur herd had retreated, and even the Triceratops were slightly alarmed at the masses of Compys, and backed away.**

 **"This is it, I'm dead, and from all things, a Compy. Irony."**

 **I smiled grimly, and was considering whether to make a final stand or a hopeless attempt at escape, when a loud snorting sound came from the rustling forest underbrush. All 36 Compys, one Dodo, one Human, 21 Triceratops, 26 Parasaurolophus, and even the lumbering Brontosaur (which was generally oblivious to everything) turned their heads turned to the spot, where out of the leafy forest plants, a bulky, black shape was emerging, snorting wildly. It charged out, sharp teeth gleaming, nostrils flaring, with beady eyes set in a huge head...**

 **"Oink!"**

 **It was a Phiomia, according to the journal, the pig of the island, but not even half as smart and nowhere near as aggressive-essentially, a walking porkchop in elephant form. The waddling oaf was oblivious to the gang of ravenous land piranhas, licking their chops with a gleam in their eyes, which were focused on the porker's meaty thighs and soft, round belly. One of the Compys shrieked, and the whole herd of the hungry predators thundered after the startled herbivore, which turned and fled. I smiled at my luck.**

 **"The attention span of a sparrow. It's damn well for me these jerks are bird-brains."**

 **My prisoner, frustrated at missing out on the feast, butted into my leg, but as it turns out, it was lucky. As the Phiomia fled wildly with the Compys at its heals, another beast strode out of the depths of the jungle. It had the horns of a bull over its eyes, the face of a pug dog, the hide of an iguana, but the agile, powerful legs of an ostrich and the confident, muscular stride of a cheetah. The arms were pathetic stumps, but the terrifying maw scooped up the petrified Phioma, which disappeared in a flash of blood into the dinosaur's jaws, studded with ivory teeth which gleamed like stalactites and stalagmites in the cavernous depths of its mouth. The enraged Compys prepared to attack to avenge the lost meal, but were instead shoveled into the gluttonous void of the predator's mouth-a powerful and dangerous theropod, which I knew could only be what the journal called Carnotaurus, "The bull which eats meat." Living up to its name, the flesh-crazed demon lizard pursued the terrified Compys deeper into the woods, as I watched alongside the petrified herbivores. The hunter had kept me from being the hunted, but recalling the Carno track I had encountered on the beach, I shuddered, and decided I preferred Compys to forest devils.**

 **I reinforced the wall with large stones I tediously gathered up from the beach and chipped from the boulders, plastering them to the wooden frame using the rotten Trilobite meat as adhesive-waste not, want not. I gathered up my spear to collect more of the arthropods, and also gathered more wild vegetables and berries for my Dodo, as well as to act as a surplus food supply. The Compy seemed to be stubborn in its efforts to resist domestication, but I decided survival was more important than a hard-headed lizard, so I sat down, thinking up bigger plans: Building a well over a spring I had found, clearing some of the woods for a small berry farm, constructing a more durable and permanent dwelling...and taming a Triceratops. And I thanked the sun for being there to burn my flesh and sear my eyes, to cast away the phantoms of the night and illuminate my way to protect me from harm.**


	6. Chapter 6-Warlords

**I awoke to find the sun already blazing down upon my face, the cries of hungry seabirds issuing forth from their rocky nests. I hauled myself upright, looking out upon the mighty ocean, the surf pounding the mighty rocks to powder sand, while I had only my frail walls to protect me. I resolved to set to work building an actual house; no longer would I dwell in a crude nest, comparable to a rat, were I was helpless from both weather and beast. Stretching, I shouldered my pack, and began to make more tools to assist me in my labors. The flint proved more difficult to work with than expected, but after dozens of failed attempts, I had supplied myself with a crude axe and a knife, using bamboo poles for handles. From the far side of the island, thunder roared like that of a Tyrannosaur, but I payed no heed.**

 **I tended to my two animals; for my dodo, I foraged for fresh berries and roots, while the Compy I offered some Trilobite meat. However, once the muzzle was untied, it simply snapped and hisses defiantly; so, I quickly bound its jaws once again. I could ponder how to tame it later, but building a shelter could mean life or death for me.**

 **I ventured far across the beaches for wood, mostly driftwood, as well as palms, bamboo, various stones, and fiber; I was not courageous as of yet to venture into the thickets which the Parasaurs and Trikes browsed in, and certainly not the jungle, were horrific demon-lizards lurked. My headquarters, however, was slowly becoming reinforced, and so was my spirit, consoles with the idea that I could set up a stronghold.**

 **It was long past noon, and yet there was a serene quiet on the shores. A light rain had begun to fall, hampering my travels across the shore due to the mist it generated with its action. The haze penetrated everywhere, wafting over the rivers, cliffs and forests, cloaking all creatures in an oppressive fog that demanded silence and awe. I cautiously continued to work, listening for any telltale sounds of Raptors, Dilos, Carnos or Compys. With what I had gathered, I began to reinforce my stronghold, layering wood and stone together, cemented by wet sand, gravel, and earth. I heard the thunder, closer now...but with a different tone than that of earlier, almost earthy and rotten, if sound could have flavor, yet full of laid-back confidence but pulsing with the vigor of life. Could the weather have emotions? Surely, I was simply dehydrated, and so I paused to collect from the rain's bounty.**

 **I paused to eat some of the vegetables I had collected for my dodo, which was still cuddling my Compy, which seemed to desperately want to eat it. Returning to the idea of how to tame the stubborn runt, I spread a few beams over the shelter, and covered them with a crosswork of thatch, to block out any rain. Then, starting the fire, I burnt some fragrant herbs I had collected. This was a method suggested in the journal, although for taming the mighty eagles of the island. Hopefully, however, a creature which shared a raptor (bird of prey)'s boldness would also be humbled through this. I popped a ball of Trilobite meat in my mouth, and spat it out. It was rotten, turned to crusty white slime. I grimaced, and waited to see what effect the fire would induce.**

 **The flames licked greedily at the exotic flora. Once they embraced the strange fuel in their purifying grasp, the fire was stained green-grey, the smoke billowing purple. The vapor erupting forth was stupefying, and it took all my resistance not to collapse. It seemed to work, as soon the creature stumbled about, shaking its head, and then collapsed, breathing calmly, fluttering its eyes.**

 **But then, the word seemed hazy. Everything seemed peacefully light...I felt myself moving towards the ground to embrace it, not caring that sand struck my face. I saw the world swirling aimlessly in a vision of a thousand colors, and two spiraling, the shifting face of my Dodo gazing at me through the same feverish fog as I was.**

 **And then I had the strangest feeling, that the earth was shaking, and a shadow fell across my dwelling, which towered twenty feet high, calmly and rhythmically moving its jaws, watching over us. The lightning flashed, and serenely, in this state of idiocy, I saw the perfect outline of The Tyrant of all the Terrible Lizards.**

 **A sound of thunder.**

 **The reaper awaited its harvest...**

 **The mechanical razored shears were primed and oiled...**

 **The engine hungered for blood and terror to fuel its incessant need for sustenance...**

 **And, once again, a sound of thunder, the weather trumpeting in unison with the primordial voice of a bygone monarch, each attempting to defy the other with a blasting rumble of untamed power.**

 **But I awaited death calmly, the fumes wafting about like the smoke of a funeral pyre. Surely, the blow would come soon, and I prayed that it might be swift.**

 **What happened next was hard to say, but I dimly remember a second shape joining the first, as if challenging its place it my feverish, wide-awake nightmare. A crocodile's head, mounted upon the body of a dinosaur; the body slung low over the ground, with a mighty war-banner, a sail, erupting from its back. It shrieked, rending the sands with its talons, kicking up silt with its thrashing tail.**

 **"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?" I had woken from my trance. "IT'S A GODDAMN SPINO AND A REX, OHHHHH shit shit SHIT!"**

 **The Tyrannosaur bellowed in return, wriggling its tiny arms in frustration, and working its mighty steel trap jaws open and shut. The leviathans sprang at each other, and my heart was racing, pumping adrenaline through my veins at the sound of their epic brawl. Dodging a tail swipe that left half of my wall splintered, I gathered up a burning piece of wood from the fire as a torch, and gathered up what belongings I could in the pack, all in one instant. The only thing which remained was to grab my Compy and flee, Dodo in tow. Five seconds later, the grappling beasts stampeded over my shelter, sending ashes and logs flying high into the air, illuminating the bloodied jaws which snapped back and forth at one another, foaming with saliva. Then, there was only the light of my torch, mingled with that of the fireflies and the moon. The rain poured down, running down their scaled skin in stream, mingling with blood. Shaking themselves like overgrown dogs, they continued their battle of dominance, with tooth and talon, tearing chunks out of each other. Jagged streaks of lightning knifed across the sky, the same color as the dinosaurs' furious, glowing eyes. I sat and watched anxiously, knowing that whoever won, I would still lose.**

 **An anxious Compy and Dodo watched with excitement as well, and seemed to each be cheering for one of the apex predators. Whenever the Spino had the upper hand, the Compy would strut and make excited chirping noises, but when the Rex was on top of things, the Dodo would hop from one leg to the other, clucking rapidly. I glanced around, to find the herbivores utterly disappeared. Even the mighty Bronto had deserted the beach, and so we and the fireflies alone were the audience.**

 **The battle raged long into the night. The Rex's scales and feathers (surprisingly, it seemed to have some running along its head and back, nearly invisible at first glance) were matted in blood, and the Spino had holes torn in its sail, and was panting heavily. The beasts prepared for a final blow, to decide who would be the victor, and who would rot on the beach, and become food for the Quetzals. The Spinosaurus whipped its tail and pawed the group, digging furrows with its meathook claws. The Tyrannosaur growled, ruffling its mane of plumage like a lion, and circled its foe, looking for an opening. I prayed that they would kill each other.**

 **But a loud snorting filled the air, together with a strange bellow. The raging beasts quieted, like savage lions suddenly mellowing at the site of the ringmaster. I beheld a strange, almost ghostly dinosaur; it had the shape of a Triceratops, but its head had a large bony lump over the beak, and no horns on the brow, with a range of odd curving spikes on the outer edge of the frill.**

 **It bellowed again, and the two behemoths turned, and disappeared into the storm without a sound, save their quaking footprints. A stroke of lightning flashed, and the thunder sounded for the last time. The rain softened, before it too finally subsided. And, with a sense of finality, the magician dinosaur wandered back into the mist, laying down and curling up amid the ferns and wildflowers. I had found an ally in this...**

 **"Pachyrhinosaurus." the journal read.**

 **The gazed upon my wrecked home, as the first lights of dawn appeared upon the horizon. Although all my work had been flattened, I was glad to be alive, and unscathed.**

 **"SCREEE?"**

 **"CLUCK?"**

 **My two pets gazed at me affectionately. Apparently, the Compy was now tame, but I suspected it was mostly due to the Dodo. I rewarded it with a piece of shredded flesh left behind by the struggling monsters, which it gobbled greedily. My Dodo pecked hungrily at some seaweed, and I myself was ready to start a new day with breakfast.**

 **I set out to gather some food, and was greeted by the returning Trikes and Parasaurs, as well as the Bronto and the Pachyrhino. I looked back at my ruined campsite as I munched on some roots and crushed coconut, and sighed.**

 **"This is gonna take a lot of work..."**

 **I eyed a bull Trike that wandered past, ignoring me.**

 **"Maybe you could lend a hand...?"**

 **This would be interesting, for sure.**

 **(P.S: Don't do drugs, kids! The idea of drugging bird of prey to tame it came from the Swiss Family Robinson. Additionally! I want you, the readers, to comment what you think these two creature's name (and gender) should be! I want the readers to play a part in this too.)**


	7. Chapter 7-Spearpoint

Gulls mewed. The waves pounding at the surf. The stench of rotten seaweed. It was all very familiar. It must be some sort of temporary callback to my youthful days, of happy years spent on warm, sunny seashores, before my permanent enslavement in death. My eyes flashed open, and there was light, not the cold, dark embrace of the death I was certain had claimed me. The salt of the sea stung my face, and the foul taste of ocean water filled my mouth. I was half-drowned and clad in simply a coarse undergarment, and there was something causing a burning sensation imbedded in my left arm, probably shrapnel; but other than that, I was alive.

Yet I had been shattered through the chest with a cannon ball.

"Nay, it cannot be...but then, I feel the sensations of a living man, despite the feeling of death abiding in my heart...so then why have I been marooned on a Caribbean island?"

I picked myself up, and to my surprise, the waters were warm, and the beach was of fine white sand, like whitest salt. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the waves lapped calmly and playfully at the shore; the sun was warm, as if in summer. Just minutes ago, I had been on board a frigate in the dead of winter, the sea wild treacherous, the heavens darkened by a wild gale; the coastline was dotted with sharp, unfriendly boulders and rock spires, dotted here and there wild sparse bushes and pines. Here, it was a tropical paradise; beyond the beach, I saw a strange forest of trees which were like that of the far-off Caribbean. Surely, it could not be true.

And yet...

Suddenly, a thunderous bellowing noise split the air, and my heart quailed. Some wild beast had emerged from the forest, and was making its way towards me, set on devouring me!

(Survivor's POV)

I stood hidden from behind a screen of ferns, staring at the magnificent Pachyrhinosaurus. My eyes hovered over the beast, then back down to the journal's dossier. According to the notes written within the crumbling, yellowed pages, this herbivorous dinosaur had the ability to release pheromones which could confuse predators and trigger certain reactions within their brains, sometimes fear, as well as passive and aggressive reactions. Had it not been for the fortunate timing of this beast's arrival, I would surely have been killed by the thrashing bodies or countless ivory teeth and razored claws of Titans of the Isle, the Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. The memories of that horrific night still spun wildly in my head, and though it was only a few hours past, I recalled them as if they were not my own, seen through a dim haze: the stupefying effect of the smoke had clearly warped my thoughts. I shuddered as I looked upon the wreckage of my shelter, and two sets of colossal tracks stamping all around; blood was spilled on some areas of the sandy ground, staining the ferns and driftwood, and filling my ruined home with the sickening smell of death. I could hardly comprehend that I had already encountered simultaneously two of perhaps the most formidable monsters on the island, and also survived that experience.

As I looked, reviewing these thoughts in my head, the Pachyrhino tilted its head my way, and snorted softly. Afraid of being discovered and causing a panic amongst the herbivores, I carefully backed up into the thick grass and bushes and picked my way through the tangled brush and away from the forest edge, careful to avoid any Trikes. The sun had not yet reached the center of the sky, so I assumed I had a good two hours of morning left.

I had already begun laying out foundations for a well around a spring of clear, clean water I had discovered flowing out from between two rocks on the beach; but more importantly, I had begun to build a new shelter, this one sturdier, and reinforced with stone. But before I could do that, I would need help from...

"The Bull Trike! SHIT!"

I had forgotten to watch out for him. A young, agile dinosaur, this Bull was wary of intruders and defensive of his herd. Thankfully, however, he seemed oblivious to me this time. He stood directly to my right, his back turned. He was snapping up a huge gourd with his beak, and slicing up the soft insides with his scissor-like rows of teeth. I carefully crept past, as silently as I could, when I noticed I had stepped in something squishy. I froze in my tracks, and slowly bent down to investigate, though I remained wary of the Trike. It was oddly quiet, I noted; not a bird sang in this area, and the insects had stopped chirping.

"Probably just a hawk overhead which scared them..."

There, smashed into the ground beneath my foot lay a flattened object, that had once been round, about size of a pear. It was dark balaclava and speckled brightly with blue.

Suddenly, the grass began to thrash wildly, and the stagnant odor of a predator's bloodstained teeth and gums filled the morning breeze.

"Shriiiiiik! SHRIIIIIIIK! SHRIIIIIIIIIIK!"

Something poked its head out of the leaves. I recognized it instantly from the journal: Dimorphodon. The Dimorphodon darted up off of the ground in front of me, followed by another, and then another. Soon, a whole flock of a dozen or so was wheeling crazily above my head, obviously angered by something.

"Oh God Damnit, no!"

I saw what it had happened. I had stumbled into a Dimorphodon nesting site, and my foot had landed on an egg, crushing its leathery reptile egg skin. The yolk ran out from the cracks, the sight of which made the Dimorphodons even more crazed, shrieking wildly in hoarse voices. The cloud of flying death lowered closer and closer to my head. I grabbed for my spear, only to find it gone.

"What the hell? Where is it?"

(Back at the camp)

"Gluck?"

The Dodo looked curiously at the Compy, who was making excited chirping noises and dancing around a strange stick left in the sand. At one end lay a sharp flint blade.

(Survivor's POV)

The spear was gone, and I was doomed because of it.

The Dimos came ever closer, growing louder and more angry. I looked all around me to find a weapon, anything which might allow me to fight off this horse. I spin around, only to find the bull Trike facing me, red eyes glaring from under the huge, pointed horns, nostrils sniffing angrily. Above, the swarm was clacking their tooth-filled jaws. I would have to think fast.

The Trike roared, and charged me. I dove, rolling in the dust moments before its horns cut the empty air where I once stood. I tumbled into a bed of rocks and bruised my forehead badly, and crawled out caked in blood and dirt. Things were now much mores. Skidding in the dirt, the Trike had landed in the Dimo nest, rolling over and crushing nearly all of the eggs.

The noise of the Dimos became deafening at the sight of the wreckage. They whirled into a tornado, a dazzling cloud of bright scales, flapping wings, snapping teeth and flashing fur. They began to swoop over our heads, battering our bodies with their winged arms and cutting open gashes with sharp, needle-like teeth. I smashed into their bodies with my fists, and the Trike tried to fend them off with its horns and tough frill, but they were too agile. Soon, we would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of attackers; I would have to think of something again. The Trike and I were pinned down together amongst an even-shifting cloud of furious little demons, laughing at us in shrill voices and tearing chunks from our flesh. There would be no Pachyrhinosaurus to save me this time; eventually, even the Trike would be overcome. Delirious from blood loss, I collapsed in the dust, watching through hazy, clouded vision as the Trike fought to the last, though coated in a network of wounds and its scaly hide drenched in blood. Foam dripped from its mouth, and it slowed, swinging its head weaker and weaker each time. Finally, it strength failed, and it collapsed, grunting feebly. The Dimos became even more frenzied at the sight of their enemy's exhaustion, diving down and landing on the once-mighty dinosaur's wounded and broken body. It was finished; the Dimorphodon swooped low to the ground, intent on dealing out vengeance for their brood.

And then, out of the sky there appeared three great winged shapes, colossal, huge as towers. They silently folded their wings, and a trio of huge beaked heads rushed into the swarm of Dimorphodon. The smaller creatures shrieked in terror, and tried to regroup to confront the new threat; but they were cut to pieces, the lesser disappearing into the mouthed of the greater. Soon, nearly all of them had been eaten, and the survivors fled into the jungles, never again to return.

There was a rush of wings, and three huge objects slammed to earth nearby. Soon, I saw that I was being watched by three gigantic faces, with huge, crooked beaks and bright, splendor its crests perched atop an oversized head, leading down to a furry body with a pair of massive, almost unbelievably huge wings. Despite what had just happened, I was not afraid; instead, I laughed at my three strange saviors, and they answered, in a funny, gurgled "Quork Quork Quork!"

In a trance, I remained mesmerized by these three Watchers. Slowly, I turned open my book, and the three majestic Titans looked also at the strange object; I flipped through the pages, and there was the name:

Quetzalcoatlus. The Flying Gods.

I stood there for how long, I do not know. But when I had finally regained my full consciousness, the Bull Trike had gone off; were he had been there was simply a trail of bloody footprints, leading off to the right.

"Stubborn, even in their will to not die...now that's a creature I respect!"

However, as I looked off to the right, I saw three large, dark shapes sailing over the cove, into the sunset. As I stared, one cocked its head, and uttered its cry:

"Quork Quork Quork!"

Even in the enchantment of the moment, though, my survivalist side was once again at work. It was night, and I had been gone all day; I had to get back to my camp, and to make sure my pets were safe, and start a fire. Always, I had to stay on guard. But as I left, I noticed something at my feet. It was an egg, perfectly formed, black speckled with blue. I picked it up and slipped it in my sack, along with some dead Dimorphodons the Trike had killed. After all, I had to eat.

When I had finally tracked back to camp, it was dark; I could not see my pets. A raptor snarled in the distance; I shuddered, and climbed over the barricade. When I lit my torch, and held it high, I found myself held at the point of my own spear. And then I heard a sound which I thought I would never hear again: the voice of a human being.

"Don't move, or else you're a dead man!"

Author's notes:

So, our hero encounters another castaway on this strange island! Who is he? Where and when did he come from? How did he end up here?

Also, the pets will be named next chapter. The winning names/genders were a female Dodo named Matilda and a male Compy named Rex.


End file.
